900 students participate in Doll Hospital

Nearly 900 elementary school students in 10 Isabella County grade schools recently participated in the annual Doll Hospital, bringing their favorite dolls and stuffed animals to school for a “check-up”. The Doll Hospital is a program sponsored by McLaren Central Michigan and Mobile Medical Response (MMR) ambulance service. The goal of the program is to ease the anxiety children often feel about hospital and doctor visits by using dolls to demonstrate some standard tests and procedures that can take place during a check-up.

“We thought both parts of the Doll Hospital, the ambulance and the doll check-up stations, were very beneficial for the students,” said Becky Hansen, first grade teacher at Pullen Elementary. “They were able to experience a visit to the doctor’s office and what it’s like to ride in an ambulance in a fun, reassuring way.”

More than 50 Central Michigan University students, representing 13 different CMU student organizations volunteered at the Doll Hospital events. Organizations represented included several Greek sororities, a service sorority, the Council for Future Educators, the Public Relations Student Society of America, the CMU CARE program, and the CMU Honors program.